Stopple for vessels



Patented lan. I77 |899.

w. H. MACINTOSH.

STOPPLE FOR VESSELS.

(Application led Oct. 31, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. MACINTOSH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES A. LEE, OF CANASTOTA, NEW YORK. A

sToPPLt' FoR vissers.

SPECIFICATION forming partei' Letters Patent No. 617,967, dated January17, 1899. Application llled'ntoher 81, 18,98. BorialNo. 695.082. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern'.-

Be, it known that I, WILLIAM R. MACIN- TOSH, acitizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Buialo, in the county of Erie and State of New York,have invented certain new 4and useful Improvements in- Stopples forVessels, of which I do hereby declare the followingto be a. full, clear,and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which the invention appertains te make and use the My inventionpertains to closures, covers,

vor stopples for jars, bottles, and other vessels, and more particularlyto that class of re` movable closures designed for temporary use.

In the use of many receptacles, notably in the case of milk-jars orvessels of like character, itis desirable that the stoppl'e, cover, orsealing device be not only readily removable, but that it be also ofsuch character that it may be discarded and thrown away after being onceused without material loss.`

' Before describingin detail the peculiarities of the present inventionit is proper to point out the objects specially sought to be 1 attainedaud the occasion therefor.

For many years the desirability of some simple, cheap, and ecientclosure for vessels, and particularly for milk jars or bottles,

has been appreciated. With various fluids.

and especially in the case of milk and cream it has been deemed of greatimportance to provide a seal or closure which should offer a minimum ofdanger or liability to become foul or capable of contaminating thecontents of the vessel or 'affecting the taste or odor thereof. Variousdevices have been tried fromtmeto time and for the most part discardedfor one reason or another. .-At the present time the most popular and,yas is bel lieved, the most satisfactory sealing device. or closurein-.use consists simply of a disk sel is from any cause irregular or ofless than Apry the disk from the mouth of the vessel. fIn doing this aquick movement is imparted .to the disk as it passes the bearing-pointsor l,the restricted portion of the mouth or orilice in which it is held,and any liquid adhering toits under face lisl thrown violentlytherefrom, often resulting iu injury'to or disigggure-n ment of theclothing of the person opening the jar or of a carpet, hangings, orother ttings in thevicinity of thev bottle or. vessel. ,In prying thedisk orl closure from the vessely the top or mouth of the ,jaris used asa fulcrum and is in 'consequence frequently chipped or disligured, so asto be incapable of being properly sealed, or, as often occurs, itbecomes dangerous to handle. It frequently happens that only aportion'of the'contents of a vessel are required to be removed at onetime. ,In such cases if the closure be punc tured its further usefulnessis destroyed or in great measure impaired, since it no longer excludesthe atmosphere, nor will it prevent entrance of insects, dirt, .&c. As'vessels' ot4 this character are commonly -used "in and about kitchens,pantries, and the like, it fre-v quently happens that the cover, disk,`or closure is carelessly laid upon a table, refrigerator, or othersurface not wholly free from dirt or impure matters, and as aconsequence`if the closure be reapplied to the vessel' the contents vthereof are'liable' to be broughtinto contact with impuritieso'rto absorb odors orllavors which will impair their quality,

The purposes of my invention therefore are to facilitate the applicationand theremoval of the. closure,- to venable an opening thereof ',tobemade without displacing the closure as a whole; to avoid the necessityor the liability. ofpuucturing, mutilating, or

-marring the, closure when either opening or removing the same, torender unnecessary v the use of any tool or implement for opening or forremoving the closure, and thereby to avoid injury to the vessel, and bythe im'- proved construction and mode of use to improve greatly thesanitary conditions attend- 'ant thereon.

Figure l is a perspective View of my improved closure, seal, or stoppleprovided with a projecting tab, lug, or handle by which to open orremove the same; Fig. 2, a similar view of a disk without such tab orhandle; Fig. 3, a side elevation of a bottle or jar, partly in section,showing the improved closure, seal, or stopple in position andindicating bydotted lines the mode of` opening the same; Fig. 4, aperspective' view showing the manner of using the closure when only aportion of the contentsof the vessel is to be withdrawn; Figs. 5 to 9,inclusive, plan views illustrating various of the many dilerent forms orcon tigurations that may be given the stopple,l seal, or closure; Fig.10, a plan view illustrating a modification of the construction shown inthe other figures; Fig. ll, an edge elevation of a closure, seal, orstopple having a single score, groove, or weakening-line in its upperface; Fig. 12, a similar view showing a single score, groove, orweakening-line in the lower face; Fig. 13, a like'view show; ing asingle score, groove, or line of weakening in both the upper and thelower faces; Fig. 14, an edge View showing a plurality ofweakening-lines, scores, or grooves in the faces of a closure, seal, orstopple.

In carrying my invention into practice I shall preferably employ arelatively thin flexible plate-like body, which may be made of anysuitable material, wood-pulp, strawboardfor the like being, however,preferred. This may be of any outline or contour and will advisably besoaked in, impregnated, or coated with paraffin to render it non-absorbent and to protect it against the action of substances which may becontained in the vessels to which the closures are applied. i Theessential characteristics of such a closure are that it shall becomparatively thin, that it be that with a properly-formed mouth ororifice invention.

'to receive it, it may be applied regardless of its position-that is,without turning it to coincide with some special point or points of themouth. Except for this other forms will answer quite as well, and insome respects perhaps better.

The mode or manner of .securingl the Vclosures in the vessels may vary,though I contemplate ordinarily introducing them by moderate pressureinto the mouths of vessels havinga slight groove or depression toreceive the periphery or edge of the disk.

Referring againr to the drawings, A indicates a closu re, seal, orstopple embodying my This stopple is represented in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4as of circular form or as in the shape of a thin flat disk. Acrosseither face or both faces, as may be found expedient in any given case,I form one or more scores, grooves, indentations, or weakening lines a.,thus dividing the closure into two parts, l) and c. The weakening,scoring, or indenting will preferably, though not necessarily, be to oneside of the center in the case of a circular disk, seal, or closure, andwith other forms it should be in such position as to leave the majorportion of the closure' on one side and the minor portion on the otherside of such line in order that the greatest diameter of the closure maybe availed of to give proper bearing and holding efect in the mouth ororitice of the vessel to be sealed. This will be better understood uponreferring to Fig. 4, where the seal or closure is represented as open edto permit withdrawal of the contents of the vessel by lifting or drawingaway from its seat the part c of the seal or closure. By reason of theweakening-line, score, or indentation the section c swings, bends, orturns relatively to the portion b', which, having a firm peripheralbearing in the orifice of the vessel, maintains its position therein andaffords suicient resistance or holding force to permit the section c tobe lifted without danger of remov'ng the seal or closure from the orice.c thus constitutes a valve, lid, or cover capable of heilig moved fromand returned to the plane of the portion b, as indicated bythe full anddotted lines in Fig. 3. The number, character, and arrangement of thescores, iuden-tations, grooves, or weakening-lines may vary-that is tosay, there may be merely an indentation effected by a V-edge blade orplate, or there may be an incision produced by a sharp knife or cutterdrawn across or impressed intothe material of the closure, or

-there may be a series of short incisions, in-

dentations, or the like arranged in line with each other.

Ordinarily it is deemed advisable to make two scores or weakening-linesof one or another form, one in the upper and the other in the lower faceof the seal, closure, or stopple, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, andto arrange these slightly out of line, but parallel with each other.This, however, is a matter of option and will be determined in greatmeasure by the character of the' material of which the seal, stopple, orclosure is formed. With wood-pulp board of good quality it is deemedpreferable to provide a score or weakening-line in each face, as inFigs. 1, 2, and 3; but it is feasible to make and use the device with asingle score, groove,or weakening-line in the upper face and none in thelower, as in Fig. 11, with but one in the lower and none in the upperface, as in Fig. 12, with one in each face, as in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and13,01l with a plurality in both faces,as in Fig. 14.

Among various forms that may be given the seal, closure, or stopplethose illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, are perhaps the The/section IOS IIO

' or stopple as having a middle retaining'por- "tion. b and twovalve-like or movable mem@ bers c, formed or produced by scoriug,ir1denting, or weakening the closure on opposite sides of itsi. center.This construction,

v though not deemed desirable ordinarily, will be found to facilitatethe introduction of the seal, stopple, or closure in the mouths ororilices of vessels which are slightly smaller lthan the regular size orwhich are at any point irregular in form, the score or weaken-.'ing-line in such cases permitting the main body to be pressed down toits seat in advance' of the smaller sections c, which may .subsequentlybe pressed home.

To enable the cover, seal, or closure to be opened or removed fromthe,vessel.at will, I provide the smaller section or sections cwith atab, ear, or handle d, as shown in the various figures', with theexception of Fig. v2.

'When the closure, seal,.or stopple isintroduced into the mouth of abottle or other ve.

sel, the tab or handle d, coming into contact with the wall of theoriceor mouth, is curled ,or bent upward or backward, and its outer faceisl brought to the' same arc asV the remaining portion of the peripheraledge of'the of the closure.

closure, so that a tight joint and eiiicient seal.

are effected at all points in the circumference If desiredLthe tab orhandle may be scored to 'mark or to determine the point at which itshall bend; but in practice it is found preferable to leave it unscoredand depend upon the gradual and easy turny ing backward thereof byreason of its contact with the smooth. surface of the wall against4which itis pressed, this action having little or no tendency to breakor rupture the material of the tab..

I The form which the disk, seal, closure, or stopple assumes wheninposition in an orifice of proper relative size is'indicated in Fig'.` 3,the tab or handle dbeing of such length as to protrude somewhat abovethe top of the bottle, where it may be readily grasped ,between c thethumb and linger preparatory to liftingV vor turning back the lid orvalve section c'.

When moved about the-weakeningline a as a center, hinge, or joint, thelid-section c takes the position indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, -permitting the contents of the vessel to be poured therefrom, as indicated in thelattertigure. Should it be desired to again seal the vessel, it is onlynecessary to press back the valve or lid section c to its seat in theneck or mouth of the vessel, when the contents will be as perfectlyprotected from the atmospherey and from the entrance of insects, dust,or

.foreign matters as they were originally.

Itis particularly to be noted that under this construction and mode ofuse the seal or closure remains or may remain in position until thecontents of the vessel are completely withdrawn, whether this be done atone operation or at die'rent times. It will further be seen that whendesired the cover or closure may be completely removed byapplying.

further force, either as an npwardlpull upon the tab or by inserting'the finger or some convenient implement beneath the portion b 'of thecover or closure after the' lid-section c is-raised. to give convenientaccess to the under side.v Being thus capable of retention in positionuntil the vessel is completely emptied the seal, cover, or closure isfreed from liability of coming into contact with dirt or 4filth or withany foreign-substance which might impart a taste or odor to the contentsof the vessel. The introduction of impurities 'or deleterious mattersthrough the use of an unclean implement, s uch as is occasionallyemployed to puncture or to pry out the seal orv closure, is likewiseavoided, and the atmosphere, insects, dust, and the vlikeare excludeduntil the closure is finally' removed and thrown away, whichiof courseisnot the case where the seal, closure, or stopple is either puncturedor mutilated through the use of an extracting implement.

As above indicated, the form or character ofthe vessel is immaterial.The precise mode of applying or of securing the closure or stopple inposition may vary, and the material or f composition of which the seal,closure, or stopple'is formed is a matter of elect-ion, lde- -pending ingreater or less degree on the nature of the vessel and its contents. Theterms seal, closure, or stopple are meant to comprehend any and allthinand plate-like closures of flexible materialy embodyin g thepeculiarities set forth in the speci-l cation; and the terms score,groove, indentation, and weakening-line are all employed to indicate anyformation or treatment of the seal, stopple, or closure whereby it isweakened and an initial line of bending, folding, or swinging of onepart relatively to the other is produced. The term orifice is used in acomprehensive sense to mean an opening, mouth, aperture, neck, orentrance in any vessel to be closed by a seal, stopple, or closure ofthe general character herein set forth- While it is preferred forreasons above set forth to locate' the score, crease, or weakening-lineto one side of the middle ofthe seal,

IIO

' the stopple.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a seal, stopple or. closure forvessels, consist-ing of a thin flexible plate of suitable `material of aform to fit the Orifice to be sealed or closed, and havin g aweakening-line therein to facilitate and to locate` the bending,folding, or` movement of one portion relatively to the other,"themovable portion contacting with the wall -of the orifice.

may be turned up 3. A removable, flexible, plate-like stopple forvessels adapted to -be inserted into and held in ,the `orifice thereof,and scored so that 'a portion thereof may be forced up and down to Openand close said Orifice without displacing the'stopple, one 'section ofthe stopple be` i ing provided with a tab or handle by which to moveit."y

4. A removable, flexible, plate-like stopple for vessels, adapted to beinserted into and held in the Orifice thereof, and having its outer facescored, so/that a portion of the stopple and downto open' and close saidOrifice without displacing the stopple.

5. A removable, flexible, platelike stopple Vfor vessels, adapted to beinserted into and held in the orifice thereof, and havin g one facescored to enable one portion to be turned up and down relatively to theother.

6. A removable, flexible, plate-like stopple 'for vessels adapted to beinserted into and held in the orifice thereof, and having both its facesscored, so that one portion may be turned up and down relatively to theother to open and close said orifice without displacing' the stopple;

able, flexible, plate-like stopple inserted and held in the orificethereof, and scored or weakened to permit one portion to be raised fromits seat While the other portion remains in position.

8. In combination with a vessel, va removable, flexible, plate-likevstop le inserted and held in the orifice thereof, an ened to permit one'section to be withdrawn from its seat in said orifice. withoutdisturbing the other section, the movable section being provided with a'tab or handle by which to withdraw lt. Y

9. A removable, flexible, plate-like stopple for vessels adapted to beinserted into and held in the orilice thereof, and scored or weakened soas to part the same into two unequal portions, the larger of whichserves to hold or retain the stopple, while the smaller section may bemoved to open and close the vessel, a movable section contacting withthe wall of lthe orifice. 1

10. In combination with a vessel, a removable, iiexible,p1atelikestopple, inserted and held in the orifice thereof and scored-or weakenedstone side of its center to produce a retaining-section b and alid orcover section c, substantially as described and shown.

1l.. The herein-described stopple, seal, or closure for vessels,comprising a middle section b and two outer sections c provided withtabs or ears d, and having weakening-lines or WM. R. MACINTOSH.

Witnesses CHAs. A. LEE,

CHARLES K. ROBINSON.

7. In combination with a vessel, a removscored o'r weak;

i scores along their lines of connection with the

